How On Earth
by littlethingsmeanalot
Summary: A Patsy and Delia one-shot. Based when Patsy was still at The London


How On Earth

"How on earth did we get ourselves into this mess!"

It wasn't a question. Patsy knew exactly what had taken place. The two of them (herself and Delia) had gone to a film, and then to a café. It had been a wonderful evening, if she had to be honest her welsh friend could make even the dullest situations exciting, although she would never tell Delia that. Both nurses had spent hours just talking, laughing like they hadn't been able to since they were made official nurses, just two weeks ago (although to Patsy it felt like an eternity). In their catching up the two women seemed to lose track of time, and ended up returning to the nurses home well past curfew.

" _surely they must leave some doors unlocked" Delia smiled up at her mischievously, whispering "although we may have to sneak through the matrons room."_

 _Patsy had given her a disproving glare that may have worked had she been able to suppress her smile at Delia's teasing tone … and her quirked lips …_

 _Delia had made the full circuit of the building, only to find no possible entrance (she had even tried to jimmy open a window). "Well, we may have to get creative."_

And that was how Patsy found herself attempting to climb up a pipe, with an excited Welshwoman whispering encouragement from below her. She was relieved when she finds that Delia had left the window to her room open (although she doubt she'll feel the same later when she leaves her friend stuck inside to freeze) and she makes quick, although ungraceful, work of opening it further and climbing inside. Patsy was still catching her breath when she heard a small scuffle followed by a thump as Delia landed next to her, only a breath away.

"Good gracious, that was quick!" Patsy breathes out, all too aware of the sleeping nurses and thin walls.

"I'm skilled at many things" she seems to say it cockily, adding as an afterthought "there's more to me than meets the eye."

Patsy's not sure what Delia means 'surely she doesn't mean what I want it to mean!'

She can feel Delia's breath brush along her neck, can smell her sweet familiar perfume, 'how easy it would be just to lean in, just to fill the distance and kiss those wonderful lips'.

She's about to do it, about to change everything forever, when she hears Delia's hushed voice.

"The door's locked from the other side"

It takes a moment for Patsy to break herself out of her spell, but when she does she's not sure whether to be annoyed or grateful. She's going to have to stay in Delia's room all night, at least until one of them can climb back down and release the other, but how long will she be able to keep her control? What if she does something foolish? What if she tells Delia exactly how she feels?

She knows what will happen of course, Delia will be disgusted, she'll stop talking to Patsy, stop being her friend, she may even tell other people. Patsy can't risk her job! She can't risk losing the person who means the most to her!

Patsy pulls herself back to reality to find that Delia is still standing in front of her, most likely caught up in her own thoughts.

"It's very late" Delia whispers in a way that almost sounds nervous. But that can't be right, Delia's the most confident person Patsy knows.

There's a pause before Delia speaks again.

"I'm awfully tired"

Although Patsy can't see her face, she can tell that Delia's putting thought into her words. 'but whatever is she trying to say!'

"I think …" there's a pause after her words that for some reason makes Patsy nervous, "I think we should get some sleep"

Patsy's mind races 'she said 'we'! Surely she doesn't expect me to sleep in her room, there's only one bed!'

A delicate hand seems to nervously grip her own, as if asking for Patsy to refuse what's being suggested, to point out that the bed is far too small, that it's far too … well, intimate.

Patsy doesn't say a word though, half because she can't (the feel of Delia's warm skin may have rendered her speechless), half because she wants nothing more that what her friend is suggesting.

She feels herself being pulled toward the bed, feels the hand reluctantly pull away, hears the soft sound of bed springs protesting.

Gently Patsy lowers herself onto the bed, trying not to touch Delia but failing tremendously, the bed would have been a tight fit for children, let alone two grown women. She tries to remind herself that friends share beds all the time, that there's nothing inappropriate about lying next to her friend. But it doesn't feel innocent, at least to Patsy, there's a sort of cautious yet excited feeling resting in the air.

Laying completely still she feels more than sees Delia shifting, pulling heavy blankets over them both, adjusting herself so that she's lying comfortably (and extremely close to Patsy). Patsy's body seems to burn where Delia's connects with hers, causing her heart beat so loud she swears Delia can hear it.

"I'm sorry Pats"

Delia's mouth is so close, she cant help but stare as it twists around the words.

"It's my fault too, I should have kept better track of the time"

Patsy feels a bed spring press into her shoulder and, before thinking, shifts off of it, bringing herself closer to Delia. She almost gasps when she realises what she's done, when she feels Delia's full body pressed up against hers. She's closer to her face now too, she notices, if she moves any closer she knows their lips would face the same fate as their body's.

Desperately Patsy tries to search her friends face for any sign of disgust, any expression that would tell her that she's crossed a line. She finds none. What she does find is in some ways even more terrifying.

She watches, mouth slightly ajar, as Delia unconsciously licks her lips, eyes focused on Patsy's eyes … and then her lips.

"I think …" Delia's voice is shaky, she still hasn't moved her gaze back.

"…"

"Well, at least I hope …"

"I think you're right" Patsy interjects, words coming out in a sort of sigh.

There's a pause, and then "Am I?"

And before Patsy can even think of answering there's a hand on her cheek. She closes her eyes as fingers trace her forehead, her eyebrows, her nose, her jawline. And then they stop. Patsy opens her eyes to find fingers hovering over her lips, and eyes asking a silent question.

Something in her expression must have given Delia an answer as she feels her small fingers brush delicately over her lips, a look of disbelief on her friends face. The disbelief growing when Patsy lifts her own hand to hold the roaming fingers in place while Patsy kisses them gently.

Patsy doesn't know how it happens, one moment her lips are touching a hand, the next they're pressed to something else entirely. However 'pressed' probably isn't the right word, the kiss is far to hesitant for that.

With Delia kissing her gently, her hand weaving it's way deeper into her hair, Patsy is sure she's never felt so happy, or so … much, before. This is why it takes her a moment to kiss back, but when she does she feels like her whole world is exploding. Both body's find a way to be even closer (something Patsy didn't think was possible), pulling and holding on to the other as if their lives depended on it.

Patsy is first to pull away, not because she wanted to but because she ran out of air. Both women lay their, gasping and holding each other in a tight embrace, staring into excited eyes and wondering how on earth they were so lucky.


End file.
